Chapter 140 "If You Want to Destroy Someone, You must First Let them Go Mad."
"William, what's wrong?" Evelyn asked, eyes wide with surprise and a bit of fear.
The William she knew never looked this bad—red eyes, pale lips, like a drenched puppy with nowhere to go.
"Is this about Tiffany?" Evelyn asked.
Landon walked over, wiping his hands with a white silk cloth. Evelyn noticed blood spots on it and sighed inwardly. 'I look away for a moment, and Landon have already acted. He takes away my chance to shine again.'
"I'm really sorry!" William kept apologizing, bowing deeply.
Just as Evelyn felt puzzled, Simon called urgently.
"Simon?"
"Evelyn, Tiffany just got released," Simon said, sounding helpless and guilty. "We've been trying to gather evidence of her abuse of power and bribery, but she anticipated it. The blame fell on Rodolfo. Plus, Patrick got her the best lawyer, Gordon. He's ruthless and great at exploiting loopholes. I didn't have enough evidence, so I had to let her go."
"It's okay, Simon. You've done your best. Our main goal is the Starhaven project. The rest can be dealt with later." Evelyn didn't think much of it, but everyone around her was furious, wanting to tear Tiffany apart. Though she was a piece of work, Evelyn knew haste made waste. Patrick, still infatuated with her, would do anything to save her. It wasn't worth escalating the conflict between their families over one project.
"By the way, Evelyn, William called me, almost crying. Please comfort him. This isn't his fault. He's too considerate, afraid you'll be unhappy and feel guilty," Simon sighed.
"Okay, I understand."
After the call, Evelyn looked at William with a complex expression. "William."
"Evelyn, this is the Flynn family's fault. I'll accept any punishment." William's eyes were red with self-blame, looking truly pitiful. When he found out Gordon took Tiffany's case, he stormed into Gordon's office, arguing fiercely.
In Gordon's office, William said, "Brian was upright and incorruptible, making enemies while in office. When he retired, they targeted the Flynn family. If it weren't for Mr. Taylor hiring Brian as a legal advisor, how could Brian and Isla enjoy their retirement? How could your firm thrive? Now Ms. Taylor wants to deal with Tiffany, and you help the Wellingtons? Isn't this betraying our benefactors for profit?"
William hadn't raised his voice to Gordon in over twenty years, but this time, for Evelyn, he was willing to go all out.
"The Taylor family has been good to us, but we don't owe them our lives! Brian has won countless cases for Mr. Taylor. Any debt is repaid! I'm a professional lawyer. Everyone is a client. If I'm capable and the terms are right, I'll take the case, whether it's the Wellingtons or the Taylors! But you, Brian and Isla invested so much in you, not so you could become Evelyn Taylor's secretary!"
Gordon's words pierced William's heart.
'My heart was with Evelyn, but my family held me back. I felt too ashamed to face her.'
"William, what are you talking about?" Evelyn frowned and smiled, placing her hands on his trembling shoulders, gently shaking him like comforting a child. "Don't blame yourself, and don't let this cause discord with your family. Why should Tiffany affect our families' relationship? Affect your mood?"
"Evelyn." William's voice choked, hoarse and soaked with guilt.
"I get why Gordon took Tiffany's case, and I have no complaints," Evelyn said seriously. "Professionals should stick to their jobs. A lawyer shouldn't be swayed by personal ties. If the Wellingtons offered Gordon a good deal, he should take it. If we need legal help in the future, I'm sure Gordon will assist us too, right?"
William nodded slightly, looking ashamed.
They got into the car, and Landon gently squeezed Evelyn's hand. "Evelyn, what's the plan now?"
"Find Nicole and Virgil's illegitimate daughter. But first, we need to lure her out," Evelyn said, her eyes gleaming with cunning. "Virgil said only Nicole's mom, Karen, knows where the kid is. Let's have Karen lead us to her and save us the trouble."
Landon smiled enigmatically. "And what about Nicole? How do you plan to handle her?"
Evelyn yawned, covering her mouth. "Isn't she about to get engaged to Edward? If we don't let her rise high, how can we make her fall hard?"
"Evelyn, Edward must be blind," Landon said, recalling Virgil's words, feeling unusually stirred.
"Well, he's had this problem for a while. Whether he's blind or not, I've regained my clarity."
Suddenly, Evelyn remembered something and quickly pulled out her phone, showing Landon a photo she had secretly taken of Gilbert. "By the way, Landon, do you recognize this guy? He helped me when Virgil almost seriously injured me."
Landon was surprised. "Really? You should thank him properly."
"But he was mysterious. I asked who he was, and he wouldn't tell me. The weird thing is, he knows me!" Evelyn's curiosity grew stronger.
Though Evelyn was a woman, she had a man's desire for control and didn't like anything or anyone being outside her grasp.
Landon leaned in closer, examining the man in the photo. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he looked at Evelyn in astonishment. "Evelyn, you really don't recognize him?"
"Huh?" Evelyn was puzzled. "Should I?"
"When you were kids, you two got along well," Landon said.
"What?!" Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the photo. 'He does look familiar, but I can't place him.'
"He's Gilbert, Uncle Elbert's youngest son. He was introverted and didn't talk much as a kid, and you were the only one who played with him. Have you really forgotten?"
"He's that little beast?!" Evelyn exclaimed in disbelief. "Wow! He's grown so tall!"
Late at night, Gilbert's private club was filled with a decadent and sensual atmosphere. In the dim lights, men and women fed each other drinks and kissed, indulging in hedonistic pleasures. Only Gilbert sat alone in the darkness, elegant and composed amidst the debauchery.
No woman dared approach Gilbert, knowing he was cold, eccentric, and obsessed with cleanliness. No one wanted to disappear from Mugden.
"Gilbert, I can't make it to our yacht party in a few days," Daniel said, drunk and frustrated, sitting next to Gilbert. "My dad wants me to go on a blind date. I really thank him for that! Which rich kid in Mugden gets married in their twenties? Only Edward is that pathetic."
Gilbert took a sip of red wine. "If you don't want to go, just cancel it."
"I can't!" Daniel irritably tugged at his tie. "The person I'm supposed to meet is the daughter of Charlie, the richest man in Hameen!"
Gilbert's breath hitched, his dark eyes flashing with a scorching light. "I have a perfect solution."
"Tell me more!" Daniel's eyes lit up.
Gilbert finished his glass of red wine, squinting his eyes. The shifting lights cast an eerie glow on his cold, handsome face.
"You go to the yacht party. I'll go to the blind date."
